Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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Table 4-9M. Motor Vehicle Fuel Consumption and Travel

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
Vehicles registered (thousands)a 73,858 90,358 111,242 137,913 161,490 177,133 193,057 192,314 194,427 198,041 201,802 205,427 210,441 211,580 215,496
Vehicle-kilometers traveled (millions)R 1,157,120 1,429,100 1,786,375 2,137,213 2,457,473 2,856,591 3,450,440 3,495,502 3,616,203 3,695,061 3,794,840 3,899,448 4,000,837 R4,122,656 4,225,127
Fuel consumed (million liters) 219,100 269,158 349,503 412,549 435,171 459,174 494,962 486,664 503,036 519,593 533,134 544,471 557,837 R569,273 586,300
Average kilometers traveled per vehicle (thousands) 15.7 15.8 16.1 15.5 15.2 16.1 17.9 18.2 18.6 18.7 18.8 19.0 19.0 19.5 19.6
Average kilometers traveled per liter 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.2 5.6 6.2 7.0 7.2 7.2 7.1 7.1 7.2 7.2 7.2 7.2
Average fuel consumed per vehicle (liters) R2,968 2,979 3,142 R2,990 2,695 R2,593 R2,563 2,532 2,585 2,623 10,001 2,650 R2,650 R2,691 2,722

a Includes personal passenger vehicles, buses, and trucks.  

KEY: R = revised. 

NOTE: See tables 4-11M, 4-12M, 4-13M, 4-14M, and 4-15M for individual highway vehicles. 

SOURCES: 1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A. 
1995-98: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1. 



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